why is a building? why is architecture? why is an architect?

Architecture can be so many things, but it is Political by nature.

As a creative medium shaped by a wide range of forces, every building stands as a physical embodiment of certain ‘Values’ - and an absence of others.

At its best it can be compassionate and considered; at its worst, corrupted and complicit. It can be a progressive entity, or a regressive one. It can work for people, or work against them.

The Paintings, Posters, Photos, Promos and Prose on this site critique the subject of Architecture and in doing so are defined as a form of Political Art.

Using the direct immediacy of graphic art, slogans, and song lyrics, the work interrogates whether Architecture is ‘Part of the Problem’ or ‘Part of the Solution’ in confronting the challenges present in the C21st.

nunswithgunsdesign produces this work in parallel to practice. It emanates from a moral anxiety and doubt about what it means to be an architect in the world.

Its starting point is a nagging dissatisfaction with the role and a questioning of the intentions within the architectural profession, the property and building industry, its processes, and its outcomes.

It is about the difference between ‘Buildings’ and ‘Architecture’. It is also about the built environment - what is happening now, what has happened in the past, and what might happen in the future.

The work aims to be succinct, accessible, and relevant - to communicate ideas simply, bring architecture to the people, and increase its visibility within popular culture alongside music, film, fashion, literature, and art.

By spotlighting pressing issues and themes, the work has two objectives: to seek a path toward a more enlightened form of practice capable of greater influence and impact…

…and to help architects and architecture become more recognised and trusted by the public as a positive force for good in their daily lives.

It is time for more ethics and less aesthetics!